(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag to protect an occupant during a vehicle collision, and more particularly, to a side airbag for a vehicle that during a side collision.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, a vehicle includes various types of airbags to protect an occupant during a collision. In particular, a side airbag is inflated between a door and an occupant and protects the occupant by preventing the occupant from coming into direct contact with a door and door glass that are thrust into the passenger compartment when a side collision occurs. During a side collision, since a distance between an occupant and a collision point is less than the distance between the occupant and a collision point of a head-on collision, a side collision occurs near-instantaneously. Accordingly, rapid airbag inflation is required and pressure of an airbag cushion should be maintained for duration substantial enough to effectively protect an occupant. When airbag inflation is delayed by about 1 or 2 millisecond (ms) when a side collision occurs, the effectiveness of the airbag to protect an occupant is considerably reduced. Thus, research has been conducted to overcome the above problem.
In particular, when a vent aperture interferes with an armrest of a door or a position of an occupant's arm, the vent aperture may not be properly opened. For example, the vent aperture must be appropriately located. However, according to the related art, since the vent aperture is disposed in a position opposite to a diffuser, gas initially supplied to an airbag cushion is immediately vented out via the vent aperture. A substantial amount of gas loss occurs and inflation of a side airbag is delayed.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.